Plate-lifter



(N0 M( de1.)

H. W. MARKHAM.

I PLATE LIFTER.

Patented Feb. '20, 1894.

I No. 515,242.

INVENTOR A? ATTORNEY yaw WITNESSES I UNITED STATES PATENT E ICE.

HERBERT w. MARKHAM, oE sYRAoUsE, NEW YORK.

PLATE-LIFTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 515,242, dated February 20, 1894.

Application filed May 20, 1893- Serial No. 474.879. (No model.)

To all whom it mag/concern.-

Be it known that I, HERBERT IV. MARK- HAM, of Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga, in the State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Plate-Lifters, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to the class of implements which are employed for removing pie-plates from the oven and for manipulating other analogous hot plates. And the invention consists in the novel construction and combination of the component parts of the plate-lifter as hereinafter fully described and specifically set forth in the claim.

In the annexed drawings Figure 1 is a plan view of a plate-lifter embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a detached plan view of the plate-gripping jaws with theirhandles. Fig. 5 is a plan view of a modification of my invention, and Fig. 4 is an end view showing its operation.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

0. aaa represent the plate-gripping jaws which are disposed in pairs at opposite sides of the axis about which they are made to swing in the operation of gripping or releasing the under side of the marginal portion of the plate to be manipulated. Each of said pairs of jaws has extending from it a shank b terminating in a handle c. They are hinged together along the lines of said shanks which thus form the shaft of the implement. A suitable spring dconnected to the combined jaws or their handles, holds said jaws normally distended from each other or in their open position. One of the chief features of novelty of my invention consists in the detail construction and combination of the aforesaid members.

I form each pair of the aforesaid jaws, with their shanks and handle in one piece of suitable stiff wire by bending the central portion of the wire-blank into rectangular shape to form the handle -o. One side of this rectangular portion is maintained in line with the main portion of the blank, and the opposite side of said rectangular portion terminates immediately at the side of the aforesaid main portion and is then bent to bring the adjacent portion of the blank along the side of the main portionand toform the shanks -b-b. The end portions of the blank are bent to extend laterally at difierent angles from the shanks and are terminated in hooks h7t. I preferably hinge the aforesaid two members of the implement together near one end by coiling the straight handle portion of one of the shanks b around the adjacent corresponding portion of the other member as shown at t'. The opposite ends of the implement are hinged by a springwire d coiled around the four shanks bbb-b either the entire length thereof and fastened at one end to one of the aws of one member and at the opposite end to the outer portion of the handle c-- of the other members as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, or the aforesaid spring wire may be coiled only around the portions of the shanks adjacent to the jaws, and fastened at opposite ends to one of the jaws of each pair, as shown at din Fig.3 of the drawings. In this case a second spring-wire --d' is coiled around the handle-portions of the shanks and fastened at the ends to the outer portions of the handles. The jaws ct-a are thus held normally in their distended and open position, and by holding theimplementin said condition over the plate to be lifted, and then compressing the handles -cc the aws aaa-a are closed around the plate and made to take hold of the under side of the marginal portion thereof by the hooks -hh, which enables the operator to lift the plate.

What I claim as my invention is- As an improved article of manufacture a plate lifting implement composed of two main members each formedin one piece of wire bent at its central portion to form the laterally projecting handle c with the shanks bbextending from one side of said handle and the end portions aa of the wire bent laterally from the shanks and terminated in hooks h-h, the shank b of one member formed with the coil i embracing the shank of the other member, and the spring-wire dcoiled around all the shanks and fastened at opposite ends to the lateral projecting portion of the aforesaid members substantially as set forth.

' In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name this 18th day of May, 1893.

HERBERT W. MARKHAM. [n s.] Witnesses:

JOHN J. LAASS, O. L. BENDIXON. 

